Homicide for the Holidays
by boswifedeb
Summary: A trip to New York for Michael's trial turns out unexpectedly, so the Houstons and Novellis are off to Texas for the Christmas holidays - plus Roy and Rosa's wedding. But a phone call from the sheriff brings Matt into a case that, while bringing back some bad memories, also leads him down a path to a family in need. Rated T. **Immediately follows "End of the Road"**
1. Chapter 1

**Homicide for the Holidays**

****Immediately follows "End of the Road"****

"_**Let's be naughty and save Santa the trip."  
>Gary Allan<strong>_

**CHAPTER 1**

"See? I told ya." Ranch hand Bo Harper nodded toward the hills where his boss, Matt Houston, was riding back toward the barn accompanied by a man of about thirty.

"Well..." Lamar Pettybone, the senior of the two cowboys scratched at the white beard on his chin, his blue eyes wrinkled up as he watched the pair draw nearer. "Maybe he's just showin' the kid around."

"Yeah, showin' him around so's he'll know where everything is when he takes our jobs." The younger of the two hands leaned disgustedly against the fence of the corral. "I can't believe he would do somethin' like that to us – after all these years..."

The older man shook his head sadly. "Naw, it ain't you he's gettin' rid of – it's me. I'm past my prime. Guess I shoulda seen it comin'." He turned back toward the barn, going back into the tack room to finish up the work he had started earlier. Bo continued to stare at the two younger men for a minute before stomping into the barn and the old cowboy continued. "I went to work for Bill Houston back in..." He paused trying to remember the exact year that the oil man and his son had moved to Houston from Lubbock. "Hell, I don't remember what year it was it's been so long."

"It was over thirty years ago – before that young whipper snapper he's got out there was an itch in his daddy's britches." Harper picked up a harness and set about cleaning it. "You know – I might just save him the trouble and quit before he can fire me."

"I'm tellin' you it's me he's givin' the _adios_ – 'cause I'm too old to cut the mustard." Lamar's chin quivered slightly as he made the statement.

"Well, I ain't gonna stay here without you. I couldn't look at myself in the mirror if you was gone and I was still here."

"Naw, now there's no point in both of us lookin' for work. You just stay put." Continuing his work, Lamar spoke again. "Back a month or so ago he was talkin' about some changes comin' to the ranch. Wish he woulda just told me then..." He stopped as he heard his boss and the stranger enter the barn along with the two horses they had been riding around the property. Both cowboys could hear the conversation.

"So what do you think, Ryan? Do you want the job?" Houston began taking the saddle off of Jasper, the stallion he had been riding as the younger man took the saddle off of Cricket.

"I'd be a fool not to say yes." Both men made their way to the tack room where the two cowboys kept working without saying a word.

"Ryan, I'd like you to meet Lamar Pettybone and Bo Harper." He nodded at the pair as the young man swung the saddle up on his left shoulder and offered his hand to the two men who simply stared at him with angry expressions.

"Boy, that takes some nerve." Harper tossed down what he had been working on and stood with his hands on his hips.

Houston turned around with a shocked expression on his face. "Somethin' wrong, Bo?"

"Is somethin' wrong? I believe all this California sun and life in the fast lane has gone to your head, Houston."

"Huh?"

"You oughta at least give a fella a little more warning that you're gonna do somethin' like this – not just say, "There are gonna be some changes comin' soon."" Lamar dropped his work and turned on his boss.

"What in the hell are y'all talkin' about?" The billionaire raised the straw hat on his head and smoothed down his hair.

"Don't act all innocent!" Harper took two steps closer to the man. "By golly, I tanned your hide a time or two back when I worked for your daddy – don't think I can't still do it!"

"Bo, have you been in the 'shine again?" The expression on Matt's face was one of total bewilderment. "What in the holy hell are y'all goin' on about?"

"Your daddy would have at least had the courtesy to warn somebody before he just up and fired 'em." Pettybone stepped right up to his boss and poked him in the chest to emphasize each syllable.

"Fire 'em? I'm not firin' anybody."

"Oh, he's not _firin'_ anybody, Lamar. He's just gonna bring this youngun in and we'll just be pushed out like the runt of the litter. That way he wouldn't have to do any dirty work."

Houston and the younger man exchanged a puzzled look for a minute before bursting into laughter. "So now it's funny? Why I oughta..." Pettybone pulled back his fist and began to swing at Houston.

"Whoa now, fellas. Y'all got it all wrong. Listen to me." The billionaire held his hands up in front of himself. "Look, I brought Ryan here to let him look over the place and see if he would agree to fill in for y'all – while we're in Texas."

"What in tarnation does _you_ bein' in Texas have to do with bringing him in?" Harper continued to advance on his boss.

"_WE_..." The PI pointed at himself and the two hands. "We will be in Texas." It immediately got quiet.

"Us?" Bo took two steps backward. "Why?"

"You boys haven't been back home for Christmas in a while – I thought you could use a break." Houston looked between the two men who were now starting to look ashamed. "Y'all didn't really think I would..." He stopped. "How could you think I would do somethin' like that? Hell, I grew up with you two around. Y'all taught me how to ride and rope and..." Shaking his head he spoke again. "I would _never_ do that to y'all. This is your home as much as it is mine."

Looking guilty, the two began stuttering apologies. "Houston, I'm sorry. I just thought..." Lamar swallowed hard. "I thought that you thought that I was too old to..."

"Me, too." Bo looked down at his boots. "I'm sorry."

"Well, ya oughta be..." Houston stomped back down the hallway and began removing the bridle from Jasper as well as the blanket.

"Now you done it – you done gone and got him mad." Lamar hit at Bo with his hat.

"Me? It wasn't just me sayin' it!"

"You're the one that put the idea into my head. Why, I never woulda thought such a thing." They could hear laughter coming up the hallway accompanying their boss.

"Y'all sound like a couple of ole hens who got busted by the preacher for gossipin'." Matt's smile and laughter was infectious and soon all four men were having a good laugh. "Let's start this over. Ryan Stockard, this is Bo and this is Lamar."

Later on that night after putting the twins and Catey Rose to bed, Matt and CJ were snuggled in the recliner together talking to Paul Novelli and their adopted son Tomás, who both got a laugh out of the exchange with the two cowboys. "I can't believe they would think that." Novelli looked a lot like his dad Vince as he sat back on the couch and laughed. "Oh, man. It's never dull with those two around, is it?"

"Never has been." CJ continued to giggle. "So Bo was gonna put you across his knee, huh?"

"Not likely." The cowboy snickered and then as the laughter died down again he changed the subject. "So how are your classes going?"

Paul nodded. "I won't say all of them are easy, but I think I'm doing pretty good. Mom and Dad ought to be happy."

"I knew you would do fine." CJ smiled as she looked at the eighteen year old, the oldest son of Vince and Isabella Novelli who was studying Aerospace Engineering at USC.

"Well..." The young man looked at his watch and stood up stretching. "Guess I better get back to the dorm and get some more studying done. Thanks for supper – and the good laugh." He went over to the couple, giving CJ a kiss on the cheek and his Uncle Matt a hug before he and Tomás fist bumped and said goodnight.

Yawning, Matt flipped on the TV as CJ snuggled into his chest. It was then that they heard the kitchen door open as nanny Sheila Wentworth came in. After a minute she entered the den. "How'd it go tonight?" Houston caught a fleeting glimse of the woman's face and saw that she looked upset. "You alright?"

"Yeah." She sniffled as she started on through toward the hallway and her room.

"Now wait just a minute..." Matt flipped off the TV. "What happened?"

Turning around and coming back into the den, the woman plopped down on the couch to Matt's right and began wiping her eyes with a tissue. "I don't know who I thought I was kidding..."

CJ climbed out of the recliner and went to sit next to her friend, her arm going around the widow's shoulders as she began crying in earnest. "What in the world happened?"

"Oh, there were so many..." She paused looking for the right word. "Oh, JERKS!" Shuddering she blew her nose.

"Do I need to go crack somebody's head open?" The PI sat up in the recliner.

"No, they just...none of them were..." She waved her hands as the couple exchanged a look.

In a very quiet voice Matt spoke again. "None of them were Charles." He watched as she nodded her head and broke down in sobs.

After a couple of minutes she regained her composure and accepted the glass of water that Tomás brought her. "Thank you." She took a sip. "I know there will never be another Charles but I just get so lonely."

Giving the nanny a hug, CJ handed her another tissue. "There are more out there – better men. You can't give up yet."

"I don't know, CJ. I just felt so bad – like I was cheating on him."

"Maybe you just need some more time." Matt reached over, patting her hand. "Don't try to rush it. One of these days just out of the blue you'll meet a guy."

"I just don't know..." She blew her nose again and then gave all three a sad smile. "Thanks. I'm going to turn in."

"'Night, hon." Matt watched as she went on down the hallway. "Guess we better hit the hay. It's going to be a long day tomorrow." The couple would be meeting Vince and his mother Rosa at the airport the next day and accompanying them to New York. Michael Novelli, Vince's younger brother, was going on trial for a murder that had occurred at the beginning of the year. Sheila would be taking care of Catey, Vinnie, and Mike with the help of Tomás who was out of school for the holidays.

The next morning as Matt and CJ went to the airport he looked over at his wife who wore a worried look on her face. Reaching for her hand he spoke. "They're gonna be fine, Babe."

"I know...I just...they're..."

"They're in capable and loving hands. Relax." She nodded and sighed. "Lady, you sure know how to make a fella feel wanted." He tried for a hurt sound and look. "Whisking you away..."

"We're going to a murder trial; it isn't some cozy resort somewhere."

"Yeah, I know; but we won't be in the courtroom the _whole_ time." A grin spread across his face.

"We're going for moral support for Mama and Vince." Giving him a stern look she soon started smiling herself. "Somehow seeing that grin on your face doesn't make me think of anything moral." Both cracked up.

Matt got quiet. "I'm worried about Mama, though." He had talked to Vince the day before and the former LAPD detective had voiced his own concerns about the petite Italian lady.

"This has been hard on her." CJ looked out the passenger window of her husband's truck. "But all we can do is support her."

The couple arrived at the airport and pulled up at the hangar just as Matt's Uncle Roy closed the trunk of his car.

"Mornin'." Matt opened CJ's door as he greeted the elder Houston.

"Good morning." The normally cheerful face was full of worry.

Checking his watch, the PI carried the luggage onto the G-550 and stowed it. The Novelli's flight was due in fifteen minutes earlier, and he exited the plane and began the pre-flight inspection. As he was finishing up a cab came to a stop in front of the hangar, the Novellis exiting with concerned looks on their faces. After hugging both, Matt helped his friend with the luggage as CJ and Roy escorted Rosa aboard. In a matter of minutes they were airborne and winging their way toward the east coast.

"You know..." Vince looked outside of the cockpit as the jet went through a bank of clouds. "I really don't understand why this even had to go to trial - why Michael's lawyer wouldn't accept a plea deal."

"CJ and I talked about it. She thinks that Aiello will try to get a manslaughter verdict or a lighter sentence than what the DA was offering."

"What would she have done?" Novelli turned to face his best friend.

"I asked her that." He punched the auto pilot button then stretched. "She said that given the circumstances she would most likely have gone with the plea."

"I don't know about this lawyer." The former cop shook his head. "I tried talking to Michael about it but he won't hear me out." They were quiet for a minute. "It's all still like a bad dream. I can't believe any of this happened – it was all so stupid."

"People do stupid things, bud. You know that better than most." The PI looked at the radar and then at the clouds surrounding them. "Has Michael's attitude changed?" He looked at Vince.

"Yes and no; he talks to us more now, but he's still against the idea of Mama and Roy getting married."

"What in the hell is his problem with it?" Houston looked back out at the clouds. "Everybody else approves."

"Don't know. I can only guess that he thinks it would dishonor Dad's memory."

The flight passed, somewhat roughly at times; there were two lines of storms that the group had to pass through before landing in New Jersey. CJ had made reservations for the group at the Sheraton Tribeca on Canal Street, and after checking in they met up with Father Tony Novelli, Vince's youngest brother. The dinner conversation was subdued; Tony had managed to visit Michael for a few minutes that morning.

"I told him what you advised, CJ." The priest took a sip of wine and carefully set the glass on the table. "He said he would talk to Aiello."

Matt put down his fork, and looked across the table at Tony. "Where did he find this lawyer?"

"Aiello was one of his clients."

"Mmm..." The PI leaned back in his chair. "What do you know about him?"

"Absolutely nothing – other than the fact that he's rude. He was leaving as I showed up for the visitation. Didn't get much more than a nod from him and he was gone." He saw the look that passed between Matt and CJ and gave a low chuckle. "I haven't been around you two a lot, but I'm going to guess that means that you'll be looking into him?"

"It does." Vince spoke up. "I was about to ask them to anyway."

"I don't understand all of this." Mama had hardly touched her meal and now laid down the fork that she had barely used. "What is the difference between what Michael is being charged with and what his lawyer wants?" Her question was directed to the lawyer.

"The DA is looking for a Murder Two conviction. Basically that's when a person kills someone but didn't plan to do it. Voluntary Manslaughter is when a person kills someone in the heat of the moment but they were temporarily insane because they were provoked to commit actions they wouldn't ordinarily engage in." She paused for a moment. "From the details that we have, I don't think that Michael was actually provoked by Clarissa. I _do_ believe that he temporarily lost it, but there isn't anything showing that he was provoked at that time. Her actions leading up to that night were certainly provoking, but she didn't threaten him with bodily harm or anything of that nature right before he killed her. The sentence for Murder Two is fifteen to twenty five years while the sentence for Voluntary Manslaughter is anywhere from five to twenty five years. What the DA offerred is a plea deal of ten years for Murder Two."

"So if he doesn't take the deal and is convicted of murder he could..." The older lady closed her eyes as what CJ said began to make sense to her. "He should take the deal, then."

"I believe so." The lawyer patted her hand.

"But how could he think...?" Rosa stopped, the grief overwhelming her. "We have to make him understand."

"Mama, I've been trying to do that since the DA offered the deal." Tony put an arm around her.

"I want to talk to him." She looked between her two sons.

"Mama..." Vince leaned back. "I just don't know if that's a good idea."

The petite woman raised her voice. "What do you mean not a good idea?! Do you want him to go to jail for twenty five years?"

"Calm down, Mama." The priest pulled her closer. "I think what he means is that he's worried about the strain it would put on you."

"And sitting here talking like this isn't a strain?" Anger flashed in her normally bright and cheerful eyes. "CJ, you and I will go see him tomorrow."

"We'll have to see if they'll allow us in, Mama. Visitations have to be scheduled."

"But you're a lawyer."

"I'm not _his_ lawyer."

" _Dio mi dia la forza per affrontare tale .."_

"_Lo far__à__, mamma – Lo far__à__." _Tony and CJ both tried to calm her and succeeded somewhat, finally getting her to eat a little of her dinner.


	2. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER 2**

Back at the hotel, Rosa and Roy went to her room as Vince and his brother went up to the Presidential Suite with the Houstons. Matt went behind the bar and pulled out three beers for himself and the Novelli brothers. "Make that four, hon." CJ sat down on the sofa and kicked off her shoes, tucking her feet up under her as the men joined her.

"CJ, are you licensed in New York?" Tony took a long swig of the beer.

"I am. But Michael already turned down my offer." She leaned her head on Matt's shoulder as his right arm went around her.

"I just don't understand any of this." The former cop got up and went to the windows that stretched from floor to ceiling in the suite that overlooked the Manhattan skyline, the Empire State Building in the distance being somewhat blurred by the snow that had begun to fall heavily. His voice softened. "I used to love the snow – how it looked with the sky scrapers when I was a kid. Now when I look out all I feel is just...cold."

The couple exchanged a look as he dropped his head, his shoulders sagging. Neither knew what to say to him, nor did Tony. Finally he turned and walked back to the group. "Houston...something is off with this Aiello guy. See what you can find on him...please."

With a quick nod, the PI left the group, going into the bedroom and bringing back a laptop. After making sure that his internet connection was secure, he began researching the attorney. The others watched as he started scanning through the information. "Dominic Corwin Aiello...age 43, married for nineteen years, two kids. Lives in Westwood, New Jersey." He continued reading and hit a few more keys. "Passed the bar exam on his second try..." Glancing up at CJ he saw she had a serious expression on her face. "Started out working for a firm that specialized in criminal defense but left there a year later and put out his own shingle doing transactional law."

"What is that?" Tony leaned back in the chair.

"Wills, incorporations, contracts..."

"Gotcha."

Matt paused for a minute. "Do we know when Aiello became one of Michael's clients?"

Vince shrugged. "Not a clue."

"Nope." The priest shook his head. After another brief pause, the keyboard came alive with a flurry of strokes and the room was silent. A smile crept across CJ's face and Tony lifted an eyebrow. "What's that about?"

Vince gave a chuckle. "If I'm not mistaken my fast-fingered friend over there is delving into the inner workings of the Yates Brokerage Firm."

"You can do that?" The priest looked over at first Matt who began smiling and then CJ who was now giggling. "You mean you're hacking into it right now?"

"No...now I'm already in there." The PI chuckled and then got serious once again as went back through and found the accounts that Michael Novelli had been handling the year before. "And there's Aiello." It got quiet once again as he scoured the records. "Mmmm..."

Vince got up and walked around behind the sofa as did Tony. "His account was leaking money like a sieve." The former cop looked at his brother first and then at the Houstons.

"He lost all of his investments in a matter of four months." CJ shook her head. "The market has been bad, but..."

"Just to have something to compare it to..." Matt went into the account of another client. "Mmmm. Not impressive." He opened a third account. "Guys, not to be rude or anything – but your brother sucked as a stock broker. I mean a lot of folks lost money – don't get me wrong, but he just didn't do much of a job."

"I've never understood investing." Tony sat back down in the chair. "I let him handle _some_ of what I've got. Glad now I didn't give him everything. I lost most of what I gave him." After a long sip of the beer he spoke again. "If Aiello lost everything investing with Michael, why would he want to help him with the case?"

"Good question." CJ continued to watch the screen as her husband looked around a little bit more and then exited the site. All four were quiet and finished their drinks.

"Guess I better get going." The priest stood. "I'll talk to you tomorrow." After exchanging a hug with his brother and bidding the Houston's good night, he left the suite.

"How's my boy taking it now?" Matt directed the question to Vince.

"Still claiming him as your own when you've got three that really are your own?" The former cop gave a crooked smile.

"He always will be, Vince. All four of 'em."

"He's doing better. There are times when what happened gets mentioned and he gets real quiet. Kind of reminds me of his Uncle Matt." All three laughed and a few minutes later he went down to the room that he and Roy were sharing and turned in for the night.

CJ walked over and looked out over the skyline. The snow had slowed and the city was now nestled under a blanket of white, the twinkling lights in the distance resembling stars. Walking up behind her and wrapping his arms around her, Matt gently kissed her cheek and the pair stood looking out into the night. "Not something you see much of at home, is it?"

"Which home?" She pulled his arms tighter.

"Either one."

The next morning after gathering together for breakfast, it was decided that CJ, Vince, and Mama would visit with Michael while Matt and Roy stayed behind. As soon as they left the suite, Roy walked over to the windows and looked out across the skyline. "What did you find out about the lawyer?" He listened as his nephew explained. "So what's your opinion?"

"Well..." The PI sat back on the couch. "Number one I don't think he needs to be handling a criminal case. If he had a knack for it he probably would have lasted longer at the first firm. Secondly, I think he might be looking for revenge against Michael for loosing his nest egg."

"And what do you propose we do?" The retired CIA agent turned away from the window.

"If they can't convince him to take the plea, then CJ is going to try to convince him to get another lawyer." He studied his uncle for a minute. "And if that doesn't work...we've tried."

Turning back to the window the older man nodded. "You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink."

"That's pretty much it in a nutshell." There was silence for a couple of minutes until Roy turned back and crossed over to sit beside him. "Rosa is going to tell him that we're getting married."

"Good." The PI nodded. "Y'all need each other now more than ever, Uncle Roy. Congratulations."

"Thanks."

"Got the ring?"

"Yep." Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a small black jewelry box and handed it over.

Matt opened the hinged top and smiled down at the ring of white gold with a ruby in the center of the setting, three diamonds on each side forming hearts. "It's beautiful. Oughta look good on her hand."

"She likes rubies." He took the box back.

"When?"

"Well...I need to ask you for a favor." A smile spread across Roy's face, something that Matt hadn't seen a lot of in the last couple of months.

"Uh huh...so I guess I need to call Madre Rosa?" Matt smiled.

"Unless you think it will be too much – what with the holidays and all."

"Are you kidding? She lives for stuff like this." Pulling out his phone he called the housekeeper of the Texas ranch. "Hey, there. How ya doin'?" He listened as she told him her plans for the day. "Sounds good. Now, I've got a question for ya: how do you feel about helping us with another wedding there?" He held the phone out away from his ear as she let out a whoop and both men cracked up as she excitedly asked who the happy couple was. "Uncle Roy and Mama." Another exclamation came over the phone. "I'm not sure just yet but in the next week or so...yes ma'am...alright. I'll call you back as soon as I know a little more." After a few more minutes of conversation he ended the call. "I think you just made her month."

Three hours later, the Novellis and CJ returned to the suite, all looking slightly relieved. "Ace, I think your work last night paid off: CJ talked him into accepting the plea deal."

"Good. Maybe he's starting to come to his senses."

"And Mama gave him some news..." CJ was beaming as she looked down at the petite Italian lady.

"Uh huh..." Matt stood and embraced Rosa, giving her a kiss on the cheek. "Congratulations. I already called Madre Rosa; to say she's wound up would be an understatement."

"Thank you. I hope it won't be too much trouble."

"Not a bit. Now..." He sat back down next to his wife. "Will there be a hearing about the plea deal?"

"No. As soon as it's signed he'll be transferred to a state facility."

"Any idea when that will be?"

"Probably before the end of the month. It takes a while for all the paperwork. We can head on down to Houston."

"Is that what you want, Mama?"

"Yes." Although she looked sad, there was also an air of relief surrounding her. "I'll visit him after he gets transferred. He knows about the marriage. Although he's still not overly happy, he wished us well." The last was said as she squeezed Roy's hand.

"Alright. Well...let's head on down to Texas – whatcha say?"


	3. Chapter 3

**CHAPTER 3**

The flight down to Houston was much more cheerful than the flight to New York had been and when they arrived at the ranch, Madre Rosa had gone all out putting together a celebration dinner for the happy couple. As they sat out on the back porch after the feast, she and Mama along with CJ began to plan out the big event.

The three men went down to the bunkhouse to talk to the cowboys. Marty and Pat Hoffman, Ollie Burkhardt, and Scott Tisdale were sitting in the large living room of the new structure as Matt and the others walked in the front door. "Uh oh, the boss man's here – Ollie, you better quit talkin' bad about him." Pat stood and shook Matt's hand as well as Vince and Roy.

After greeting all the men, Houston had a seat. "So you think you found somebody else to help us out?"

Marty, the foreman of the ranch nodded. "I do indeed. Young fella by the name of Emilio Vega." Handing over a sheet of paper, he watched as Matt read through the cowboy's references and experience. "Had him to join us today; he did a hell of a job." He looked around as the rest of the men nodded their agreement. "Thought you might want to run a check – just in case. But as long as he can pass the background check..."

"Alright. I'll look into it tonight." Matt accepted a beer from Scott.

"How are we lookin' otherwise?"

"Doing really well, Boss Man. Things are running smooth."

"That's 'cause we've got the best damn crew in the state of Texas." The PI raised his bottle in toast to the men.

"It's also because we've got the best damn boss in the state." Ollie's comment was met with more agreement.

"What? Are y'all buckin' for a Christmas bonus or somethin'?" Houston burst into laughter as well as the others. A few minutes later the group headed back up to the house to find the women still working on the wedding plans. Leaving them to their work, Roy and Vince headed into the den and began watching football. Matt had gone to the study and began the background check on Vega. Other than a couple of speeding tickets, the cowboy had no criminal record whatsoever. He was the divorced father of two, and had most recently been working at a ranch located just west of nearby Dayton, Texas. The ranch had gone out of business when the owner had died suddenly and his adult children had decided to close it down.

Matt leaned back in the chair and propped his feet on the desk as he thought about the possible new hire. Vega looked like a good candidate and the fact that the other men spoke highly of him boded well for him. Once again the idea of retiring from the PI business and moving on back to Texas invaded his thoughts.

"Working hard?" CJ had been watching him for a minute unbeknownst to her husband.

"Not really." He smiled as she came around the desk and stood behind him, her hands massaging his shoulders. "Looks like Marty found us a new hand. Got a clean background." Handing the paper over his shoulder to her he leaned his head back and watched as she read through it.

"Looks good on paper."

"Marty had him working here today; they all agreed he did a great job."

"Sounds good then." Putting the paper back on the desk, she moved around to sit in his lap, their lips meeting in a kiss. Seconds later the phone rang, and she reluctantly picked it up. "Hello?"

"Hey, CJ. It's Francine Martinez. Chuck said that y'all had made it into town today...and I hate to ask, but..."

"Hang on..." She handed the phone over to Matt and climbed off of his lap.

"Hello?"

"Houston, Francine here. We've got something that I would appreciate your input on if it isn't too much trouble."

"Oh? Okay..." He sat up and reached for the pen and pad of paper, jotting down the address that the sheriff gave him.

"It involves fire; do you have what you need or do we need to get you some equipment?"

"Is it active?"

"No, it's cold."

"Alright. I'll be along. See ya." Hanging up he looked up at his wife with an apologetic smile. "Think we can get back to that conversation when I get back?"

"We better." She kissed him on the cheek and both went out of the study, Matt headed upstairs for his pistol and she to the den.

"Going somewhere, Mattlock?" Roy watched as his nephew leaned over and kissed CJ goodbye.

"Yep, Sheriff Martinez called. Want to go?"

The elder Houston looked at Vince and both stood up. "What the hell..." The former cop kissed his mom on the cheek and followed Matt toward the kitchen followed by Roy a few seconds later.

Speaking loud enough for the women to hear him, Houston winked at Vince. "So is your old lady gonna let you come out and play, Uncle Roy?" From the den they all three heard a string of Italian flowing and walked out into the cool night air and down to the SUV that had been assigned to Matt the last time he had worked for the department. Martinez had arranged for it to be at the ranch so that he could respond in an emergency just as any other detective in the office would.

"Seems weird that you're the cop and I'm not." Novelli piled into the back seat as Roy took the passenger seat. "What kind of call is it?"

"Not exactly sure. She said it involved a fire." He turned south onto Crosby Huffman Road and hit the switch on the dash, the blue lights coming to life as he made his way into the city of Houston, cutting the normally forty minute drive to only twenty. As he pulled in behind three other department vehicles on the edge of the Union Pacific train yard and cut the engine he could see Martinez. "Think y'all can behave?" He grinned as the other two followed him across the rough ground that was adjacent to the Union Pacific train yard.

"Houston, glad you could make it."

"Brought some backup with me. Sheriff Francine Martinez, this is my uncle Roy Houston and my friend Vince Novelli – formerly of LAPD."

"Gentlemen, it's a pleasure. Just wish it wasn't here."

Matt pulled a pair of gloves out of his back pocket. "So what exactly have we got?"

"A body that has been burnt – badly." Leading the men closer, she told him what she knew. "Romeo and Juliet over there thought this would be a good spot to...well, you know. When the headlights landed on it, they freaked out and called it in."

"Boy, that'll sure kill the mood." Houston stepped closer as the ME's assistant began examining what was left of the body.

"I'm not certain, but I believe it's a male." The young man looked up at the detective. "Really can't tell too much about it out here."

Watching as the ME rolled the body slightly Matt commented. "Looks like he was on his back when the fire was set."

"Uh huh...and there is what appears to be a couple of puncture wounds."

"So maybe stabbed."

"Possibly. Let's see if there's an ID." He reached into the back pocket and removed a wallet. "Benjamin Lee Starks...address over on Salina – about a mile from here." He handed the item over to Houston who jotted down the information in his notebook and took a look through the wallet.

"No money, no credit cards." He held on to it while waiting for one of the crime scene techs to arrive. "Hey Vince – would ya look behind the driver's seat and bring me that little kit underneath?"

Nodding, the former cop did as he was asked and returned a moment later, carefully watching where he stepped as he took the case to Houston. Watching as his friend knelt down and opened the small case and removed some swabs and sample tubes, it struck him once again how much the man had changed. Carefully, the detective took samples from both the body and the ground surrounding it. When he finished a friendly voice came over his shoulder.

"Look who's back in town." CSI tech Michelle Rodolfo stopped next to the body. "Wow, what a mess."

"Nice to see you, too." Houston had bagged up all of the samples and now handed them to Rodolfo who signed for them. "Saved you a little work."

"Most appreciated."

The detective took a flashlight out of the case and began carefully searching the area around the body, kneeling down as he found some tracks. Mostly dirt with sparse patches of weeds, the land had been ignored for years for the most part, the only maintenance on it appearing to be done with a weed trimmer around all the piles of discarded railroad ties, rails, and assorted pieces of hardware that were no longer in use. In a moment he was joined by Rodolfo.

"Heard you've got two little boys now."

A smile spread across the man's face. "Two little ones and a teenager – plus my daughter."

"And you love every minute of it, don't you?" She tossed down a marker and took a picture of the track that he pointed out.

"Yep." Moving further, he found more tracks and then a burned patch of weeds. "Looks like our victim ran a little ways before he collapsed: the fire started here." Leaning forward he sniffed the area. "Gasoline."

Michelle took pictures, swabs, and samples of the charred area as he continued to follow the trail, suddenly stopping and drawing his pistol. "Hands in the air...ease on out of there." Martinez and two of the other officers carefully moved in as a boy of about twelve came out from a stack of railroad ties. Looking terrified, he was shaking from head to toe as the detective returned his pistol to its holster. "Come on over here." The boy did as he was told. "Don't have a rocket launcher or anything on ya, do ya?" Matt gave the boy a smile as he emphatically shook his head no. "What're you doing out here?"

"Nothin'." The boy shivered.

"Got a jacket?"

"Nuh uh."

"Did you see what happened here?"

"Nuh uh." His eyes were locked on the ground.

"Sure?"

"Uh huh."

"Where do you live?" The boy shuffled his feet, his eyes still on the ground. "Come on...out with it."

"A few blocks north." He jerked his head in the indicated direction.

"Do you know Benjamin Lee Starks?" There was a slight hesitation and then an affirmative nod. "What can you tell me about him?" Martinez was now standing next to him.

"He lives on Salina."

"What else do you know about him?"

"He deals." He took a quick look at Martinez and shivered again.

"Kinda cool out here tonight. How long have you been out here?" His answer was a shrug. "Since before dark?" There was a nod. "Tell you what..." He glanced at Martinez. "How about you go have a seat in that SUV over there. Bet my uncle can tell you all kind of stories. Just don't believe all of 'em though, okay?" He motioned to Roy who walked the boy back to the SUV and started the engine, turning on the heater. "Uncle Roy may be able to get something out of him. He's kinda sneaky like that."

"Fine. From the looks of him I'll bet he's a runaway."

"Uh huh." Returning to the tracks he had been following he drew closer to the rail lines. "I've got blood." Rodolfo photographed the splotches of blood. "Smells like gas here, too. Bet this is where he got doused." He followed the trail to the railroad tracks and lost the sign.

As he and Martinez walked back toward the vehicles accompanied by Novelli, the body was being loaded into a van. "So...why did you call me out on this one?" He cocked his head as he looked at her.

"Because this isn't the first body we've found like this lately...it's the third."

"What do you know about the other two?" They had reached the vehicles and Houston leaned back against the hood of the sheriff's SUV.

"Both had records."

"And we know now that Starks was a dealer – chances are he's got a record, too."

"This is Frenchtown – not exactly Atascocita. I talked to the Arson Bureau chief about it and he suggested that we consult with you. But when I called California..."

"They told you I was in New York." He nodded.

"I'd hate to see your frequent flier miles."

"Don't get 'em – got my own jet." Looking over toward the SUV where his uncle was chatting with the boy he sighed. "Got to wonder what he's running from."

"Or who." She pulled the keys from her pocket. "I'm going over to Stark's address and see what I can find. Why don't you work on the kid there – you seem to have a knack for talking to them."

"I'll do it."


	4. Chapter 4

**CHAPTER 4**

"Have a seat, bud." Houston sat down in the chair opposite the boy in the break room of the Sheriff's Department. "Are you hungry?"

"Nuh uh." Continuing to look down at his feet, the boy gave Matt the impression that he wasn't used to talking a lot – or getting much to eat.

"You're not a very good liar." The statement had the desired effect: the kid's head jerked up. "They've got some pretty good burritos in that machine over there – or we could get pizza...or burgers."

"A burrito would be good." The voice was very quiet.

"Alright." Pulling money out of his pocket, the detective walked over to the machine. "Beef and bean?" The answer was a nod and he went to another machine for a bag of nacho chips. "What about a Fizzy Pop?" Once again there was a nod. Setting the food down in front of the kid, Matt went over to the coffee pot and poured a cup, returning to the table as the boy knocked out the last bite of the burrito. "You know, if I knew your name it would make this conversation a lot more interesting."

"Marshall."

"Nice to meet ya. I'm Houston." He watched as the bag of chips was ripped open and the boy began crunching. "Got a last name?"

"Hickerson."

"So, Marshall Hickerson – what brought you to the train yard?" The crunching stopped momentarily as the boy sized him up. "Did you do anything wrong?" A negative head shake followed. "Then you've got nothing to worry about."

"I was hiding."

"From?"

"My mom's boyfriend."

"Don't see eye to eye with him?" Another negative head shake.

"He hit you?" Matt had spied a couple of bruises on the boy's face once they had entered the station. After a pause Marshall nodded again.

"What's his name?"

"I don't want to cause a problem."

"You didn't." He gave the boy a minute to think it over. "I don't really think you want to go to CPS tonight, do you?"

"Nuh uh." Hickerson stared at him again and then finally cleared his throat and spoke. "Eric Duncan."

"What's the address?"

"516 Erastus – but please don't say anything to him."

"Why'd he hit you?"

"He..." Marshall stopped. "I told him to quit hitting my mom."

"What's your mom's name?"

"Sharon."

"Alright. We'll go talk to her in a little bit. But first I want you to tell me what you saw in the train yard."

"Nothin'."

Houston continued to look at the kid, his stare not intimidating in the way that he used on adults, but more of an "I dare you to tell me" expression that seemed to work on most kids. Minutes ticked by and the detective got up, walking over to the machines and dropping in quarters before punching in the numbers for a bag of cheese curls, then two honey buns. Sitting back down at the table he opened the chips and slid one of the honey buns across to the kid who opened it up and dove into it. When he had a mouthful he looked back up at the detective who was still halfway smiling and giving him the look. The pastry dissappeared as Houston began popping the snack into his mouth. "I saw a guy chasing Bennie. When he caught up to him, they got into a fight and the dude knocked him down. Stuck him in the back with a knife and when he rolled over, dude poured somethin' on him. Bennie screamed and ran off, but the guy ran after him and knocked him down again. That's when he set him on fire."

"Didja see what he used?"

"Nuh uh."

"So Benny ran a little further and then hit the ground again." The boy nodded. "Which way did the guy go when he left?"

"South."

"Ever seen him before?"

"No."

"What'd he look like?"

"White, about forty maybe?"

"Fat, skinny?" The detective began jotting down the information.

"He wasn't really fat – kind of, you know, muscled up. He was wearing a t-shirt."

"What about hair color?"

"He had a hat on – baseball. Blue."

"Jeans?"

"Yeah."

"Anything else?"

"Nuh uh."

Houston slid the other honey bun across the table to the kid who immediately picked it up and opened it. "When was the last time you ate anything?" A shrug was the answer. "Your mom work?"

"Yeah."

"What about the boyfriend?"

"No."

"Come on..." He stood up and poured the last of the cheese curls into his mouth, refilled his coffee cup and put the trash that the two had generated into the can. "I need to go get this discription put out." Without a word, the kid followed him into the cubicles where Matt's desk was located. Vince was sitting in his chair with his feet propped up.

"Is that my coffee?" The former cop arched an eyebrow at his friend.

"Nope. Break room. Have at it." Matt waited as the man vacated the seat and along with Roy went to get a cup.

"Have a seat." Matt motioned across the walkway to the desk of his childhood friend and fellow detective Chuck Wiley. In a minute he was putting out a BOLO on the suspect, and then pulled up the record for Benjamin Lee Starks. As expected he had been convicted for possession and drug sales. Next he looked up Eric Duncan. The man was twenty eight and had a record of drunk and disorderies and assaults. His longest jail term had been thirty two months for an assault charge and his probation had ended eight months earlier. He also ran a check on Marshall's mother but came up empty.

"Let's take you home." He stood and the boy hesitated. "I'll have a little chat with Eric..." The tone and crooked grin seemed to give the boy reassurance and he walked alongside the detective who snagged a deputy to go with him. They met up with Roy and Vince who joined them. "We're gonna give Marshall a ride home."

"I had a friend named Marshall when I was in the Navy..." The elder Houston began telling one of his stories and before they reached their destination all four were laughing.

They made it back to the small house that sat next door to the burnt out wreckage of what had once been a car and home. The empty lot across the street had been turned into a neighborhood dumping ground. As Matt cut the engine he looked back at the boy who looked scared once again. "You stay here for a minute, okay? Keep an eye on Vince here." His answer was a nod.

Sliding from the SUV Houston, followed by the other deputy, casually adjusted the ball cap on his head as he strolled up the sidewalk to the house, the front window of which had been cracked and repaired with duct tape. He rapped on the frame of the screen door and waited as the TV that was blaring inside was turned down and the door was opened by Eric Duncan. "Whaddaya want?"

"Eric Duncan?"

"Yeah, what of it?"

"My name's Houston – HCSO." He tapped the badge on his belt.

"Congratulations." Duncan attempted to close the door but was stopped by the detective's arm.

"Now that's just rude." Quickly, he ducked inside the house, his eyes immediately landing on a woman who looked scared to death. "Evenin', Miss Sharon." The shock on her face was evident as he gave Duncan a shove toward the couch. "You're Marshall's mom, right?"

"Yes."

"He's outside in my truck."

"Is he okay?" She jumped to her feet.

"He is...but before I let him come in I believe Eric and I need to talk."

"What the hell do you want?"

"I want to tell you that if you so much as think of laying a hand on this lady or her son again, you better think again. Because if you do..." His voice began a swift descent down to a very threatening tone. "You'll be dealing with me." Duncan started to come back with a remark and was silenced when Houston spoke again. "As a matter of fact, put your hands on top of your head."

"You can't..."

"I can do a lot of things that you probably never dreamed of..." The voice was a low rumble. "Now would be a good time." His hand rested on the butt of the pistol riding on his right hip. Grumbles started from Duncan until he heard the man clear his throat and did as he was told.

"Lousy..."

"You have the right to remain silent..." He told Duncan his rights. As the deputy walked him to the front door he gave Sharon Hickerson an angry look.

"Now..." Matt opened the door and watched as Ducan was leaned against the patrol car and frisked. "If I find out you let him come back, and if he lays a hand on that boy out there, he won't be the only one going to jail." Reaching back for his wallet he pulled out $400 and one of his cards. "Call that number if you have any problems. And don't let that man get that money from you. Has he got a key?"

"Yes."

"You rent this place?" She nodded. "What's the landlord's name?" Jotting it down on a piece of paper, Hickerson gave it to him with a shaking hand. "I'll make sure the locks get changed tomorrow."

"Thank you." She stood in the doorway as the detective went back out to the truck.

Marshall slid out of the truck as Houston reached into the backseat, found a sweatshirt, and handed it to the boy. "It's big but it'll keep you warm." The detective handed $100 and his card to the kid. "Go get yourself some clothes tomorrow. And if by some chance he comes back or causes any other problems you let me know, okay?"

"Uh huh..." The boy nodded, tucking the money into his pocket as he started toward the house. Turning back he held out his hand to Matt. "Thank you."

"You're welcome. Stay out of trouble – and out of the rail yard, ya hear?"

"I will."

Houston walked back around the truck and got behind the wheel, watching as mother and son hugged and then went inside the run-down house. Turning the vehicle around, he followed the patrol car back to the station.

"Think he'll stay away?" Vince had seen the likes of Duncan too many times in his years as a cop.

"He better." Matt reached for his phone as it rang. "Yes ma'am?" He listened and stopped at a light. "Okay...works for me." There was a pause as she spoke again. "I just took him back home. His mom's boyfriend is on the way to booking on domestic assault charges times two." He listened for a minute. "Okay, talk to you later." Disconnecting the call, he went to the station to retrieve his cuffs and sign the paperwork on Duncan and then went home for the night.


	5. Chapter 5

**CHAPTER 5**

The next morning Matt dropped Vince off at the airport so that he could take the jet to Hawaii to pick up the rest of his family before stopping back in LA on the return trip to pick up the rest of the Houston family and bring them down the next day. The Texas ranch would be full at Christmas once again and no one was happier about it than Madre Rosa.

As he drove to the Sheriff's Office, Matt thought again about Marshall and his mother and dialed the number for the landlord. After getting a recording he left a message informing the man that the locks would be changed that day and that a key would be sent to him when the job was completed. He also strongly suggested that some repairs be made to the house or there would be a call to the Codes Administration.

Next he called one of his newest employees, Ben Devereux, who had been in charge of rebuilding the bunkhouse on the Houston ranch and had now started renovations on the run-down house on the former Parsons property that was now being transformed into Rockin' PH Quarterhorses, CJ's dream come true. After explaining the situation, he asked the man to make the necessary changes. Hanging up as he pulled up outside of the home, he saw Marshall coming out the front door, two large garbage bags in his hands and a look of surprise on his face. Matt rolled down the window on the SUV. "How are y'all doing this morning?"

A smile lit the boy's face. "Great. I just got all of Eric's junk together."

"House is lookin' better already, ain't it?" The detective laughed as the boy leaned on the door of the truck. "Just thought I'd stop to let y'all know that a fellow by the name of Ben will be by later on to take care of the locks. He's a friend of mine and he'll get you fixed up."

"Thanks."

"Guess I better get to work. You call if you need me, okay?"

"I will – thanks again."

"Not a problem." He rolled the window back up and headed up the street, turning around at the corner and going back south. Since the train yard was just a few blocks away he wanted to get a look at it in the daylight. Pulling to a stop at the edge of the lot, he slid out of the vehicle and slowly looked at the ground as he went toward where the body had been found, then followed the tracks that he had spotted the previous night. Marshall had told him that the attacker had headed south after lighting Starks on fire, so he began scouring the area closer to the tracks and stopped when something caught his eye. Squatting down, he found a coin that resembled some of the challenge coins that he had received during his time in the Army. Pulling his camera out of his pocket, he took a picture of the find, then donned a pair of gloves and picked it up. On one side was the benchmark symbol. He flipped it over and read what was on the back. "Maxima Signa Semper." Dropping the coin into an evidence bag, he labeled it and put it in his shirt pocket before moving on towards the tracks. Martinez had told him during their last phone call that the Union Pacific's surveillance cameras didn't cover that area, something that would have been handy; but given the bad lighting it probably wouldn't have helped them as much as Marshall's eye witness account. Once he got to the rail line, the shoe prints he was following disappeared and he went back to the SUV and called CJ. "How's my favorite lawyer doing this morning?" He smiled as he thought about how she had greeted him when he returned home the night before. Neither had gotten much sleep, but deemed it a good cause.

"I'm just fine. Whatcha doin'?" She was sitting behind the wheel of an SUV, looking out over the property of the new ranch.

"Well, I just found something interesting and wanted my Latin expert to verify something for me. The phrase _maxima signa semper_ means high standards always doesn't it?"

"Very good!"

"What can I say? Even a blind pig snorts up a truffle now and then." He laughed and then went on to explain what he had found. "I don't know if it has any connection to what happened last night, but I did find it in one of the tracks I was following. The guy went back almost the exact same path that he followed in."

"Is it an Army coin?"

"I don't think so – if it is I never saw one. It's a black background with gold lettering on that side and the other side is a black background with a benchmark symbol."

"That is strange." She thought for a minute. "But benchmark and high standard kind of go hand in hand."

"Uh huh." He started the engine and turned the SUV around going back out the way he had entered the property and then heading west toward the office. "Gonna go look through the files on the other two murders that Martinez sent down for me. Love you, Babe."

"Love you, Cowboy – and be careful out there, okay?"

"Yes ma'am. And you stay out of trouble – at least until I get home."

"I'll see what I can do. 'Bye!" She hung up and couldn't help but smile as she put the truck in gear and went out across what was going to be some prime pasture land once again.

Pulling into the lot at the Sheriff's Office, Houston spied his friend Chuck Wiley as he got out of his truck, stretching and yawning before starting toward the building. A sneaky approach and quick kick caught the man square in the butt, causing him to turn around. "Shoulda known it was you."

"You'll let anything sneak up on ya."

"So did you look at the two cases for the boss?"

"Not yet – I had to go to a crime scene last night. Looks like it might be the third one."

"Hmm...hadn't heard about that." The two went inside. "So how's the Houston family?"

"Fat and sassy. Vince will be bringing Sheila and the kids down tomorrow along with the rest of his bunch."

"Bet Madre Rosa's in high gear." He chuckled, knowing how much the housekeeper enjoyed taking care of everyone – especially kids.

"You don't know the half of it – Uncle Roy and Mama are getting hitched."

"Wow! That's great." He watched as Matt punched the button for the elevator. "Where are you going?"

"Gotta take a coin up to the lab." He pulled it out of his shirt pocket and handed it over. "Y'all didn't have that in the Navy did you?"

"Nope – usually a service coin has the name of the branch on it. There are places where you can get stuff like this made up, though." He handed it back. "See you later." Waiting until Matt started through the open doors on the elevator, Chuck smacked him on the back of the head before heading to his desk.

Upstairs, Houston wandered into the lab. Michelle wan't in but one of the other techs took the evidence from him. "I'll see what I can get off of it for you, Sergeant."

"Appreciate it." Matt rode back downstairs, hit the coffee pot, then had a seat at his desk and began reading through the first of two files that Martinez had sent down for him. The first murder had happened about a month earlier. The victim was Austin Lelan Lennox, age 22 with an address on Pine Mountain Road that was about five miles away from the location where he was found at the end of a park road just to the southwest. Lennox was living with his parents and had just completed a sixty day stint in the Harris County Jail for indecent exposure. Interestingly enough, he had been murdered about four hundred feet from where he had been arrested. Like Starks, Lennox had been stabbed and then set on fire. The first units on the scene had thought that they were responding to a forest fire since the body was in a wooded area not far from the parking lot. Other than samples of the ground surrounding the body and samples taken from the corpse that indicated the use of gasoline, there was nothing to link anyone to the crime.

Downing more of the coffee, the detective opened the file on the second victim – David Geraldo Rafael, age 47 who lived hardly a block from where he had been found literally hanging on the fence at the edge of McReynolds Park approximately two weeks after the discovery of Lennox's body. His home was on the corner of Hahlo and Leslie. At the time of his death he was living alone and no friends or family had come forward to claim the body. Rafael also had a criminal record stretching from the time he was 17. His convictions ranged from drunk and disorderly to aggravated robbery. He had been out of jail for about six months and was working as a carpet cleaning technician. The photos from the scene showed that he was in much the same condition as the other two victims.

Jotting down the addresses, Houston answered his cell. "Yes ma'am? I am...uh huh, just finished looking at them... Sure, be there in a minute." He hung up, grabbed the coffee cup and looked across at Chuck. "The boss wants to see us in the break room."

"Uh oh – what did you do now?" Wiley got up and followed his friend down the hallway.

"Mornin'." Houston refilled the coffee cup and took a sip.

"I sure hope so." Martinez accepted a cup of the steaming brew from him and leaned against the counter. "So what do you think?"

"Well...all three victims were male and all three had criminal records. They were of varying ages and races. One was fairly well-off while the other two were not." Shrugging as he took another sip, he spoke again. "It seems like the only thing they have in common is a criminal record. I thought I would go out and look over the other two scenes."

"Okay." Martinez looked at Wiley. "Chuck, see if you can find anything else they might possibly have in common."

"Will do."

"Oh, and I found this..." Matt pulled out his phone and brought up a picture of the coin. "...This morning. Here's the other side." He showed another picture. "It means "High Standards Always". It was in one of the shoe prints. Looks like maybe our guy dropped it on the way in and stepped on it on the way back out – the shoe prints were overlapping."

"Interesting – no service branch on it."

"I was telling him that there are places out there that can make them up for you." Chuck filled a cup for himself. "I'll see if I can find any of the makers that know about that particular coin."

"You guys make a great team." Checking her watch she gave a grimace. "Gotta go deal with budget mess. Keep me in the loop."

"Yes ma'am." As so often happened, the long-time friends spoke at the same time causing their boss to laugh as she left the room.

"Send that to my phone."

"Alright..." Houston pulled out his phone and when his friend turned to leave, smacked him in the back of the head.

"Gonna be one of _those_ days, is it?" Wylie looked back over his shoulder with a grin as Matt snickered while sending the pictures. As soon as he was finished he went out to the parking lot, retrieved the SUV, and went west on I-10.

It was a half-hour drive out to the Park Ten area, and Matt used the time to call and check up on the kids. A short talk with Catey was followed by an excited conversation with Tomás who was looking forward to celebrating the holiday with all of the Novellis. He wrapped up the call as he turned left onto Groeschke Road. On the right hand side of the road was the West Houston Lakeside Airport and on the left the park. He slowed as he turned onto the park road and followed it southward for a ways before it curved around and came to a dead end. Sliding from the vehicle he looked around: it was nearly empty save for an elderly couple going east on the walking trail and a woman pushing a stroller going west. Leaving the pavement, he walked across the grass and into the tree line following a faint trail. About thirty yards in he found the charred spot where Austin Lennox had died. If not for a recent rain when the murder occurred, the area might well have gone up in flames worse than it had. He walked around the site as he recalled the photos from the scene. After the fire crew had entered, any footprints at the scene had been destroyed. There was a time that he would have been annoyed by that fact, but now that he was seeing things somewhat from the perspective of a fire fighter, he understood: they were there for a fire – not to find a murder victim. Several more minutes of going over the area produced nothing so he decided to see if anyone was at the Lennox residence that was in the Langham Creek area about five miles away. Retracing his route on Groeschke Road, he turned left on Highway 6 and then right onto Aspenglen, ending up in front of the Lennox home on Mountain View. It was a nice home in a nice neighborhood, and as he rang the doorbell and waited, he imagined that Austin's parents were probably shocked by the thought of their son being arrested for indecent exposure – not to mention being murdered a short time later.

"Yes?" The door was answered by a woman of about fifty, her blonde hair, blue eyes, and heavy Texas accent conveying her heritage.

"Mrs. Lennox?"

"Yes."

"Good morning. I'm Sergeant Houston – Harris County Sheriff's Office. I was wondering: would you mind if I asked you a few questions about Austin?"

"I wasn't sure y'all were even still working on his...death." It seemed that she couldn't bring herself to say the word _murder_.

"I just got brought in on it today, ma'am."

"Please – come in. Can I get you something? Coffee?"

"No ma'am, but thank you." He removed the ball cap as he entered and followed her into a large living room. A baby grand piano was sitting in front of a bay window, the sunlight streaming in on the highly polished wood. Pictures of a happy family covered the top of the instrument as well as every wall.

"Have a seat." She sat down on the sofa as did he.

"Thank you." He pulled out his notebook and looked back up at her, a sorrowful expression covering her face. "I'm sorry to have to bother you like this."

"If it will help find who..." She paused, clearly trying to keep her composure. "As long as it will help you find the person."

"I read the report. Austin had just been released from jail. Can you tell me what happened to cause his arrest?"

"They said it was indecent exposure." She looked down at her hands. "I just don't think he would do something like that. I'll admit he had been drinking with some friends, but...Austin just wasn't like that."

"Were any of his friends arrested?"

"No, he was at the park by himself. I guess he wanted to sober up before he came home. John – my husband – and I had argued with him about drinking too much. I feel so bad now. If he had just come on home..." Tears threatened to fall.

"Ma'am, a lot of young men do stupid things like that – myself included." She looked up at him then, somewhat surprised. "I did my fair share of stupid in my younger days." He gave her a sad smile. "So you think he went there to sober up some. How did he get caught? Sorry – I haven't read the arrest report – I'm kind of part time."

"Well..." She blushed faintly.

"I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say he went to relieve himself?"

"That's what he said – that the restrooms were locked for the night and he, you know..."

"Yes ma'am. Do you know who filed the complaint?"

"From what I understood an officer just happened to be patroling there at the time. I really don't think it was fair. If no one else was around..."

"I understand." He paused for a minute. "Could you tell me if he knew a man by the name of David Geraldo Rafael or Benjamin Lee Starks?"

"I don't think so – he never mentioned them." A look crossed her face. "Wait a minute - Starks. Isn't he the man who was murdered last night near the Union Pacific train yard?"

"Yes ma'am."

"But the news said that he was a known drug dealer." Anger flooded her features. "Sergeant, my son may have gotten drunk but he was not a drug user or a drug dealer."

"No ma'am – I didn't say he was. But both of those men were killed just like Austin: they were stabbed and set on fire."

"Oh, my Lord." She began crying then. "So are you telling me that there is some...some maniac out there...?"

"We don't know, Mrs. Lennox. Sheriff Martinez asked me to look into the cases. Did Austin work?"

"He was enrolled in college classes and working part time at an amusement center until the arrest – they fired him. It's a family-oriented business."

"But up until the arrest he had never been in any trouble?"

"Not a bit. Austin was the youngest of our three kids." She stood and went to the piano, picking up a photograph and returning to the sofa. Handing it to the detective she smiled sadly. "Our only boy."

Matt looked at the picture of the three siblings, all in their teens at the time it was taken. Austin was seated on the piano bench between the two girls, all smiling. "Look like great kids." He handed it back.

"They are." Wiping away a tear she looked up at him. "Please find who did this to my boy."

"I'm doing my very best. If you should happen to think of anything..." He reached into his pocket and handed her one of his cards. "Please call the cell number on there. Thanks for your time...and I really am sorry about what happened."

"Thank you." She walked him to the door and watched as he entered the vehicle and pulled away from the curb.


	6. Chapter 6

**CHAPTER 6**

"...And the name of the group?..." Chuck wrote down the answer. "Moral Victors. And the contact information?" He continued to write. "Yes ma'am, you've been a big help. Thanks a lot." He hung up the phone and began working the keyboard. "Interestin' little group..." Snatching up the phone he called Houston. "Hey, I found out a little info about the coin."

"Oh?" The detective was en route to the McReynolds Park area.

"Uh huh. It was commissioned by a group of six that call themselves Moral Victors. Their MugBook page says, and I quote: _"Upholding the moral values of Harris County since 2008, the Moral Victors is an association of like-minded individuals seeking to keep the streets clean of undesirable nuisances."_ Sounds like a vigilante group to me."

"Uh huh. Have you told Martinez yet?"

"Nope, just now found it. Besides, she's in meetings right now – up to her neck in budget requests."

"Mmmm...okay. I'm on my way to look around the second scene. Be back over there in a while. Good work by the way."

"Thank you for the compliment, Mr. Houston, sir." Chuck leaned back in the chair and continued to peruse the MugBook page. "I'm going to make a list of their membership that's showing on the page and run checks on them."

"Great idea. See ya." He pulled over at the address given for Rafael: it was now a burnt out shell of a house. Although not the swankiest of neighborhoods, the McReynolds Park section was a typical working class area complete with good and bad elements just like any other area. On his way down Hahlo Street, Houston saw a variety of homes in various conditions from well-tended to neglected. Pulling out his laptop he logged into the Sheriff's website and found the date of the fire: it had occurred the very same night that Rafael had been murdered. The investigating officer from the Fire Bureau and the ME had determined that the man had been burnt right where he was found, although the chemical signature of the gasoline used to start both fires was identical: whoever had done the murder had also set the fire. Turning the corner he drove west on Leslie for about a block and a half until it came to an end at the edge of the park. Stepping out of the truck he paused and popped his back and noticed as he did so that the section of fence that acted as a service gate for the park had been replaced. There was still a patch of burnt earth where the crime had taken place. Unlike the other two victims, David Rafael hadn't moved after being stabbed. It looked from the crime scene photos as if his attacker had stabbed him when he hit the fence and immediately set the blaze. The ME had come to the conclusion that the location of the stab wounds had rendered him unable to move. There was nothing else to be found at the location, so he went back to the office.

"Elvis has just entered the building." Chuck snickered as Houston sat down across from him. "I found a couple of interesting members of Moral Victors. Look at your email. We've got a problem." Leaning back, he propped his feet on the desk and stretched, watching as his childhood friend pulled the keyboard closer and began to type and then read the information.

"Very interesting..." Matt looked up at the ceiling for a minute. "You know, the Lennox kid never should have been arrested. He was in the park at 2:00 AM taking a whiz when nobody else was around – except for an eager young deputy."

"It happens."

"Well, now that you've found out about Mr. Kirby Connell..." He worked the keyboard and then leaned back in the chair, giving Chuck a serious look. "I believe we've got the connection: all three men's cases went before Judge Serrano...and Connell is his bailiff – which makes it an in-house problem."

"Yep – all bailiffs are deputies."

Houston blew out a breath and rubbed the back of his neck. "We really need to talk to the boss lady."

"I called up to her office right before we talked on the phone last time – she was still in meetings."

"She may be about to get interrupted; you know she's going to want to hear about this ASAP."

"We can try." Both men got to their feet and went to the elevator.

As the car ascended, Matt looked to his friend. "I forgot to ask: how's your crew doing?"

"Fine. Just growing like weeds."

"I can sure relate to that." They stepped off and went to the secretary's desk as she was on the phone.

"I'm sorry, sir; Sheriff Martinez is in a meeting, but I would be happy to give her a message as soon as she's free." Writing down the number she looked up at the two detectives, a harried look on her normally cheerful face. "Yes sir, goodbye." Hanging up she looked at the pair again. "Please tell me you don't want to see her."

"I really don't want to – but I think she'll want to hear what we've found out." Matt watched as she weighed the alternatives, knowing that Houston wouldn't be working the case if Martinez hadn't found it to be significant.

"Write it down – I'll go in and give it to her. The rest is up to her." She slid a pad of paper across the desk and watched as he wrote the note, her eyes growing bigger as she saw what it contained. "Holy crap..."

"Yeah, that's pretty much what we thought, too." Chuck watched as she made a beeline for the office door and quickly disappeared and then reappeared a moment later, waving for the two detective's to follow her. Unlocking a door just around the corner she instructed them to wait there for the sheriff and then hurriedly went back to her desk, leaving the pair to look at their surroundings. "We're meeting her in a bathroom?"

The door opened as he made the comment and Martinez slipped inside. "A room's a room. How in the hell did you get this?" She listened to the explanation, closing her eyes as they told her. "Great...just what I need right now while I'm begging for more money to fund the bailiffs. Son of a bitch!" She struck the marble countertop, cursing even more under her breath. "Okay, find out where he is right now. We need to keep tabs on him. Set up surveillance on him and the other members." She sighed. "Okay, you two get started. I've got to go back to the meeting. If anything else should develop let me know."

"Yes ma'am." Both answered at the same time again.

"You two just kill me. Go...go!" She shooed them out of the room, checked herself in the mirror before uttering a few more choice words over the situation and then took a deep breath before re-entering the meeting.

Back down at their cubicle, Matt grabbed the keyboard and began looking into the records of those who had been tried in Judge Serrano's courtroom while Chuck began by assigning someone to go keep an eye on Connell, then drafted another detective to help him with the surveillance on the six group members that they knew about.

The sheer number of people who had been brought before Serrano was staggering. _"How in the hell do I know who these idiots are going to go after?"_ He listened as Chuck explained to Detective Mario Santana and two deputies exactly what was going on.

"You've gotta be kidding me." Santana was astounded. "And he just puts it out there on MugBook?"

"Not that they've murdered – but, yeah – he's the head of the group."

"Just eaten up with dumb ass. Damn..."

"Anyway..." Chuck stood and motioned toward Matt. "Don't know if y'all have met – Mario Santana, Tracy Sheraton, Armando Silva – Matt Houston."

They shook. "Nice to meet ya." Matt stood and stretched.

"Same." Santana looked back to Wylie. "So have we got eyes on Connell right now?"

"We do – he's in Courtroom 3 as we speak. Parkins is in there."

"So what's the plan?"

"Watch 'em until they do something stupid or we get a definite connection from the lab." Houston drained the last of the coffee from his cup. "Are the other five on duty now?"

"Not all of 'em...there are two more besides Connell that are working today: Carl Roerig is in Courtroom 4 and Chris Mathis is in Courtroom 6. Sheraton, take Roerig; Silva – you take Mathis." After they left, he looked back down at his list. "We've still got Darren Loftus, Connor McPike, and Louis Young. Houston – here's the information for Loftus. I'll take McPike, and Mario..."

"I've got Young." The detective took the piece of paper.

As the group got undercover cars from the motor pool and scattered to their various locations, Matt grabbed some burgers and made a phone call to the ranch. "Hey, Madre Rosa. How's it goin'?"

"Wonderful. Rosa and I are finalizing the details on the wedding. They went and got the license this morning." The excitement in her voice made the detective smile.

"Good. Is CJ around there by chance?"

"She just came in." There was pause as his wife took the phone.

"Hey, Cowboy."

"Hey, I'm going to be out of pocket for a while." He explained what was going on.

"You can't be serious. That is just...wow. How dumb can someone be?"

"Apparently pretty damn dumb. I'm not sure when I'll get home."

"Take care of what you need to – we're fine here. Let me know if you need anything. Love you."

"Love you, too, Babe. Congratulate the happy couple for me."

"I will. Just be careful out there."

"Yes ma'am." He hung up and pulled into the curb three houses down from Darren Loftus' home on Moonmist Drive in the Southside community. It was an average looking neigborhood with most of the yards kept neatly and Christmas lights on almost every house. The Loftus home looked like Santa had dropped off part of the North Pole; the decorations covered almost every portion of the property. The deputy's truck was parked out in front of the house and Matt wondered if he was actually there until he saw the man go out to the mailbox and return to the house. His phone rang.

"Have you seen Loftus?" Chuck had parked outside of Connor McPike's apartment building but hadn't yet confirmed that he was there.

"Yep; he just got the mail out of the box. How about you?"

"Not yet. I'm outside of his apartment building; his car is here but I'm not a hundred percent sure that he is..."

"What about Young?"

"Mario is having to sit through a chickflick at the Plaza 6 Theater – evidently his girlfriend wanted to see a movie." Both men snickered.

"Well..."Houston pulled a cheeseburger out of the bag and took a big bite. "I called CJ. Roy and Mama got their license this morning. Looks like my adopted mother is also going to be my aunt. I think Vince was right: the family tree is about to get all kinds of complicated." He laughed as did Chuck.

"I'm happy for 'em. She's a nice lady." He thought for a minute. "So if Roy marries her, where will they live?"

"They haven't said, but I'm pretty sure Hawaii. She's crazy about her family. Not to mention she's got the restaurant."

"True. That's gonna suck for you, though. He helps you out some with cases doesn't he?"

"Yeah. But I want him to be happy. He can still help out from time to time if he wants." He polished off the burger. "Mmm...we've got some movement here. Looks like Loftus and his wife are going out some where." Taking a drink of the Fizzy Pop, he waited until they pulled away to start the engine and ease out onto the road. "We're going east on Moonmist."

"If his wife is with him I doubt he's going to go murder somebody."

"Yeah." He followed them south on Renwick. "Now we're southbound." In a couple of minutes he was three cars behind them at the intersection of Renwick and Bellaire. "West on Bellaire and...looks like a grocery run." Putting the car in park he watched as the couple entered a grocery. "Better than a chick flick anyway."

"Ah hah! There's the scum-sucker. Looks like a laundry run – he's got two clothes hampers with him." Sighing he started the engine. "Talk to you later."

"Okay." Hanging up, Matt pulled out the laptop he had brought along and went to the group's page on MugBook, glancing up every few seconds to keep tabs on Loftus' truck. He scrolled down and looked at a post from about four weeks earlier and noticed that right before Austin Lennox had been killed a meeting was announced and right after they were congratulating themselves on a job well-done. "Mmph." He went on through more posts searching for the date that Rafael was murdered. "Son of a gun." He read a post by Connell that stated _"a really hot topic was taken care of tonight – one helluva job!" _Making note of he post, he copied it and put it into a file that he had started on the case as well as the post about the time Lennox was killed. The entry for the previous night included the phrase _"some smoking was done". _ He added that to the file as well.

Another glance up showed him that the couple was still shopping so he began delving deeper into the MugBook accounts of the six men, starting with Kirby Connell. Although he belonged to several groups on the site, he only had about ten people on his friends list, half of which were the other members of Moral Victors. Moving on to McPike, he found that he had more friends, but there was very little communication outside of the group. The majority of his friends appeared to be family members. Young was next on his list and when he saw the profile picture he stopped: Louis Young matched the description that Marshall Hickerson had given him. Further reading of the profile showed that he was more active on the site, belonging to several groups that were involved with body building. "That's gotta be him." Punching the number in for Chuck he looked up at the truck he was keeping tabs on; it hadn't moved. "Chuck, I just got a look at Louis Young – I'm pretty sure that's who Marshall saw last night when Starks was murdered."

"Good deal."

"I also don't think that they're going to be doing anything tonight. Before the last two murders a meeting was announced. There isn't one for tonight – but there is for tomorrow."

"I didn't see that before. Damn." He sat and thought about what was happening.

Matt's phone buzzed. "Hang on, the boss lady is on the other line..." He switched over. "Yes ma'am?"

"Houston, I just got out of the meeting. Has anything else happened?" Martinez was sitting down behind her desk with a cup of coffee as she spoke.

"No ma'am, but I think tomorrow night might be very interesting." After telling her what he had found, she agreed. "All six are scheduled to work tomorrow, so I don't think we'll have to worry about where they are then. Tell Chuck and the others to back off for tonight. We'll get back on them tomorrow. Don't want to give ourselves away."

"Yes ma'am." He heard as she disconnected the call and switched back to Chuck. "She's pulling the plug for today – but we'll be all over 'em tomorrow after they get off work."

"Good – I told Lisa we would take care of the last of the shopping tonight." He breathed a sigh of relief.

"I'm just going to go see if Marshall can give us a positive ID on Young and head back to the ranch. Talk to you later." Matt closed up the computer and pulled out of the lot, going back to the station to reclaim the SUV.

A short trip later, Matt was pulling up in front of the Hickerson home. As he knocked on the door he noticed that Ben had done as he had asked: not only had he changed the locks, but he had also added a dead bolt. Marshall opened the door. "Hey, have you got a minute?"

"Sure, come on in." The boy stepped back as the detective entered.

"I need you to look at some pictures for me." He pulled up six pictures, one of which was Louis Young. "Do any of these guys look familiar?"

"That's him! That's the guy right there!" The boy excitedly pointed out Young.

"Good. Now I want you keep quiet about this for right now. We'll probably be catching up with him and his buddies tomorrow night – don't breathe a word of it, ya hear me?"

"I won't say a thing."

"Good. So is everything okay here? You need anything?"

"No, we're great." He looked down for a minute and then back up at the man that he hadn't even known for twenty four hours. "How long do you think it will be before Eric is back out?"

"I seriously doubt he could make bail. He doesn't have a job and he's had a history with the law. But if he shows up you call."

"I will."

Later that afternoon when he got back to the ranch, Houston met Emilio Vega and along with Marty, CJ, and Ollie, had a talk with him, explaining how the Houston ranch employees would also be working for the Rockin' PH on occasion as was necessary. "I've got no problem with that at all, Mr. Houston. I know your reputation – you're a good man to work for and this ranch is testimony to your know-how. I'm just grateful to have work again."

"Just wanted to be sure that you were clear on that." He looked over at CJ and nodded, letting her know to hand over the contract that she had drawn up. "I'll let the lawyer-lady here explain all the wherefor's and with-all's to you. Welcome aboard." The two shook and he walked off with the two foremen and went down the backsteps to the pasture fence. "Well boys, that's one more for the crew. Keep lookin'."

"Oh, Ollie and I have our eyes on a couple of others." Marty grinned. "We figured since all the hands will have to work together at one time or another we would work together to hire 'em."

"Makes sense." He turned and leaned on the fence, looking up to the patio where Madre Rosa was talking to a man from a rental company about tables and chairs for the wedding reception. "Just hope the weather will hold out for the wedding. That house is gonna be awful crowded otherwise."


	7. Chapter 7

**CHAPTER 7**

As Matt got ready to leave the ranch the next morning and head to the Sheriff's office, he and CJ shared a hug as the others looked on. "Not sure when I'll be home tonight."

"I know. All I ask is that you..."

"Be careful. I know. Love you." The couple kissed again before Matt started for the door. "See y'all later."

"Go get 'em, boy." Roy watched with pride as his nephew waved back at him as he went out the kitchen door, a mug of coffee in one hand and his bullet-proof vest in the other. Looking over at Mama he saw the concern on her face. "Are you okay?"

"Yes...I just worry about him. Ever since Vincenzo was shot..." She shook her head. "But he's got the vest."

"He's also got a lot of good company out there, Mama." CJ gave her a little hug before sitting down across from the pair with another cup of coffee. "So two days to go before the wedding."

"Maybe we should just elope..." Roy winked at CJ, knowing that Madre Rosa would throw a fit. Sure enough she spun around, the dish towel in her hand as she pointed at him.

"Oh no, you don't!" The elder Houston cracked up as did the other two.

Once at the Sheriff's Office, Matt and the others were called to a special meeting upstairs with Martinez. The plan was to have plainclothes officers attending the court sessions that day. "What has happened is going to be a black eye on this department. We need to make sure that we end this _tonight_." Everyone agreed. "Naturally, I want this to play out as safely as possible, but I don't want any of you taking any chances out there. You _will_ be wearing your vests and you will not hesitate if you feel your life is endangered in any way. Is that understood?" Once again there was a nod and murmur of agreement. The phone buzzed and she picked it up. "Yes?...Okay, send her in." Everyone looked to the door as CSI tech Michelle Roldofo entered the room. "What have you got for us?"

"Louis Young's prints were on the coin that Houston found at the Starks murder scene."

"Good work."

Houston spoke up. "We have a witness that positively ID'd him as the suspect, too."

"That's great. So we've got enough for a warrant on him. But..." She stood and looked out the window that overlooked Buffalo Bayou and the downtown skyline. "I would like to catch one of these idiots in the act. We'll hold off on arresting Young for the moment – we may have more charges to add before the night is over. I want everyone to meet up here at 3:00 this afternoon. Thank you all."

After filing out of the office and going back down to the squad room, Matt's phone rang just as he was about to sit down behind his desk. "Houston..."

"He's here!" The panicked voice of Marshall Hickerson came across the phone line and the detective immediately reversed course and took off for the front door, a puzzled Chuck following. From the sound of things Duncan was pounding on the door and screaming threats.

"Is your mom home?" The detective opened up the SUV and got behind the wheel as Chuck loaded up with him.

"No...she's at work. I've got the doors locked, but he just picked up a brick and he looks like..." Just then there was the crash of breaking glass.

"Marshall, go out the back door and go to the store on Salina. Chuck, send a unit to 516 Erastus. Domestic assault."

"No, he's found me there before. I'm going to the rail yard."

"Is he on foot?"

"I think so."

"I'll meet you there and we've got a patrol car on the way to your house."

"Okay." The boy threw the phone down and flew out the back door, running as fast as he could southward. Once he was across Salina and out of sight he slowed down slightly and could hear sirens in the distance. When he was almost to Kashmere Street he heard squealing tires behind him and without looking back, knew that it was Eric Duncan. He ran faster and darted out across the rail yard's storage area, his plan to throw Duncan off his trail and go to the spot where Houston had found him before. The whole time he kept asking himself, _How did he get out so soon?!_

Matt headed straight for the area where Starks body had been found, glad that normally it was only a seven minute trip. He figured it had taken him about three, and as scared as the boy had sounded that was three minutes too long. He came to a sliding stop just short of the pile of cross ties that the boy had hidden behind before. "He isn't here..." Looking around he spied the kid running toward him and a car closing in quickly behind him. Getting behind the wheel once more, he gunned the engine and went straight toward the pair, the man in the car jumping out and tackling the boy, beginning to beat him in the dust and dirt of the rail yard, not paying a bit of attention to the SUV that was bearing down on them.

As he slammed the truck into park, Houston dove out of the door and launched himself on Duncan, catching the man as both of his arms were raised up about to lower yet another blow on the boy. The velocity of his dive carried both men a few feet away and without fully knowing what he was doing, the detective began pounding the man, turning his face into a bloody mess, not stopping until Chuck pulled him off.

"He's out, man, come on!" Chuck pulled with all his might at his friend, finally making him realize that it was over.

His uniform shirt covered in blood, Matt went to Marshall. Although his nose appeared broken and he had cuts all over his face, he was in much better shape than his attacker had been.

"How?" Panting, the boy tried to sit up.

"Don't know. Lay down." Out of breath himself, the detective turned to see Chuck roughly rolling Duncan over and putting the cuffs on him before turning him on his left side as Matt called for two ambulances.

"No..." Marshall struggled, trying to get up to no avail as the cop held him down. "Can't do that."

"Yep, you're going."

"No..."

"I've got you covered, Marshall – it's okay. Your mom won't have to worry about a thing, alright? Now lay still." He stayed on his knees holding the boy's hand until EMS arrived and then rode to the hospital with him while Chuck stayed behind to deal with the aftermath.

"Sergeant, better let me take a look at that hand." The paramedic had already gotten an IV started on the boy and taken down his information before turning his attention to the cop.

"Huh?"

"Looks like your hand might be broken."

"Oh..."

As all three were being processed through the emergency room, Houston sat on the table waiting for an x-ray. The treatment room door opened and as he looked up, both CJ and Sheriff Martinez came inside, the sheriff speaking first as CJ took hold of his left hand. "I've heard what Chuck said – what's your side of the story?"

"How's Marshall?"

"He's got a broken nose, a concussion, and a cracked rib. Plus some cuts and bruises. Now – your side of the story."

"Well..." He paused for a minute and then told her what had happened.

"You messed Duncan up pretty good. He's got a concussion, a broken nose, and a broken jaw." Looking down at his right hand she nodded. "The doc tells me you might have broken that."

"I'm waiting on an x-ray." He looked to CJ and saw the concern on her face. "Sorry, Babe."

"And there Mama was afraid this morning that you would get shot." She gave him a little smile.

"So..." He looked back at his boss.

"So I guess you had good cause..." Looking around to make sure no one else could hear, she lowered her voice. "Next time try not to beat the crap out of your suspect _quite _so bad...but between you and me – the son of a bitch got what he deserved for terrorizing that kid."

"How in the hell did he get out? I didn't think he would be able to make bail."

"Not sure. I've got people looking into that right now. I'll need you to fill out the paperwork when you get done here."

"Yes ma'am."

Two hours later, after getting a cast put on his hand, Matt stopped in to check on Marshall. The boy was sleeping quietly, his mother by his side holding his hand. When she looked up to see the detective and his wife, Sharon Hickerson burst into tears as she gave him a hug. "Thank you...thank you so much."

"I'm sorry he got out – I don't know how in the hell he did, but I'm going to find out."

"I tried to kick him out three months ago but he threatened to burn the house down with us in it." She turned to look back at her son. "It isn't fair for a kid to have to deal with something like this."

"No ma'am, it isn't. But something tells me you aren't going to be in this situation again – are you?"

"No...never again."

CJ drove him back to the station, fully ready to give him a ride back to the ranch when he was done with his paperwork. The phone on Chuck's desk rang just as Matt managed to somewhat scribble his signature on the papers that he had to turn in. "Wylie..." He sat up straight in his chair. "We didn't think about that.." He listened as Matt's ears perked up. "Uh huh...hang on a minute." He spoke to his friend. "The courts are closing early. Our boys will be hitting the streets in about an hour. Call up to the boss lady."

With a nod, Houston picked up his phone and got through to the sheriff and relayed the message. "Yes ma'am." He looked across at Chuck. "The meeting is bumped up to now. Tell the plainclothes to keep tabs on 'em until otherwise directed." Nodding, the detective did as he was told.

"Hon, you can't be in on this..." CJ started to object.

"We've got to take these guys down, Babe." Standing up, he released the buckles on his utility belt and began moving the holster from his right leg to the left.

"No, Matt."

"It's alright, Babe...go on home."

"You're not going to..."

"The hell I'm not." He looked up, momentarily pausing as he switched his equipment around. "CJ, these guys are not just killing folks, they're bringing this department down. After what we went through when Wade got killed due in part to dirty deputies, I'm not about to sit this one out."

"But your hand..."

"I've got two."

"Matt..."

"No, CJ – go home." There was silence for a few seconds.

"You better not get hurt."

"I won't." A snicker from Chuck caught their attention and they both smiled. "Give me a kiss and go home – the kids will be there any minute now. You know Sheila and Madre Rosa are going to have their hands full. Love you."

"Love you, Cowboy. Even though you are a stubborn old..."

"I'm _your_ stubborn old whatever."

After a hug and kiss she turned and started out, stopping just long enough to give Chuck a hug and whisper something in his ear, his response a nod.

"What was that?" Matt walked with him to the elevator,.

"None of your business." Chuck punched the button for the elevator as Matt fumbled with the clip on his belt, finally getting it closed.

"What did she say?"

"Not telling ya." He looked over as his friend fumbled with the clip on his left leg unsuccessfully. "Here..." He closed the plastic buckle and stood back up as the elevator doors opened. When they reached the secretary's desk she waved them on into Martinez's office.

"Why are you still here?" She looked up in surprise as Houston came through the door.

"We've still got a job to do."

"I appreciate the gung ho attitude but you've got a broken hand there. Go home."

"No ma'am – I want these guys locked up tonight."

"And they will be – go home."

"No." Their eyes locked.

"Houston – you're right handed..."

"I can shoot left."

Martinez saw the doubtful look on Chuck's face. "I don't think so – and neither does he."

"Y'all don't know – I do."

"You might be able to at the target range, but out in the field..."

"I did it in Iraq...on more than one occasion. And I was injured a lot worse than I am now. Trust me on this."

Giving a sigh as the other officers entered, she looked to Chuck. "What do you think?"

"I think you might as well agree – he'll do it anyway."

"You're probably right. Okay...but if you get hurt..."

"CJ already knows it'll be my own damn fault – now let's get on with this." The response came out in a gravelly tone that left little room for argument and the group began making their plans.

"It would help if we knew where these guys plan to meet up." Santana looked around at the group.

"Sheriff, if I can borrow your computer..." Houston looked to the boss and was waved around the desk. With a muttered curse he began typing one-handed as the others discussed their options. Tuning them out, he concentrated on trying to quickly break into Connell's MugBook profile. "Uh huh..." Without realizing he was talking out loud, the detective kept digging, going through the bailiff's private messages. Interrupting the others, he spoke. "The Depot – corner of Sterrett and Williams at 4:00."

"How...never mind." Martinez turned back to the group. "Alright, so now we know where and when."

Santana spoke up. "If they see too many of us in there they'll know something is going on."

"We only need one person inside. The rest of us can be staged nearby." Martinez looked at the group and after a short discussion it was decided that Armando Silva would be in the bar. He went downstairs to change into civilian clothes while the others looked at a map.

"Right here..." Chuck pointed to the map. "There's a pool hall that got shut down last year. We could use the parking lot out back – we shouldn't be spotted."

"Good. Does that work for everyone?" She looked around as they all nodded. "Okay, remember what we talked about this morning – no one, and I mean NO ONE..." She looked directly at Houston. "Takes any chances. Got it?" A chorus of "yes ma'am" went around the room. "Get your gear together and let's meet there in three vehicles. Chuck, I'm calling shotgun."

"Yes ma'am." He smiled and looked over at Matt as they headed out of the office. "Guess you get the back seat."

"I'm not totally unfamiliar with back seats." He cracked up as Wylie rolled his eyes and the others in the group laughed.

"I know – we used to go out on double dates, remember Romeo?"

"If I remember correctly mine were sure more memorable than yours." He watched the numbers change as once again laughter broke out in the car and Chuck swatted him in the back of the head. Back down stairs they gathered up radios and extra ammunition before going out to the lot and meeting Martinez who was also armed.

Pulling out of the lot, the sheriff turned to look at Houston. "Are you sure about this?"

"I am."

"Tell me about Iraq." There was silence from the back seat.

"I'd rather not."

"Tell me now or Chuck's dropping you at the next corner." She stared at him as he remained quiet for a minute, weighing his choices.

"April 4,2003, Hamamiyat, Iraq." He stopped.

"Go on."

"I..." He stopped again.

Chuck looking in the rearview mirror and saw how upset he was. "Sheriff, maybe you shouldn't..."

"Now, Houston."

"You can look it up your own damn self...under Congressional Medal of Honor. I'm not saying another word." The interior of the SUV fell quiet.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have..." She stopped. "That was just wrong. I'm sorry." She watched as he looked out the passenger side window, the muscle in his jaw working and anger in his eyes. Chuck took her by the arm and urged her to turn back around.

They arrived at the parking lot behind the now defunct bar, probably an eyesore on it's best day when it was still in operation, but now seeming particularly forlorn. As they exited the vehicle, Houston drew in a deep breath trying to calm down and Martinez, starting toward him, was grabbed once again by the arm. "Leave him alone for right now." All trace of humor was gone from Wylie, who like Houston, was often known for his sense of humor. "Trust me."

Matt walked away from the group for a minute, his back turned as he fought with his emotions. April 4, 2003 had been one of the worst days of his life – and there had been many during his four years in the Army. Not only had everyone in his unit been injured that day, three out of the five of them had died as had an unknown number of girls in an orphanage in the small town about twenty miles northwest of Baghdad. After a few minutes, he calmed and came back to the group, his jaw set firmly and a no-nonsense attitude had taken the place of his usual good-humored self.

"Sheriff..." Mario Santana motioned her over. "Silva has eyes on four of them right now. They just came in together."

"Good." The group stood around waiting, the others noticing that the group of Wylie, Houston, and Martinez seemed particularly uptight. A few minutes later Silva contacted them again; all six of the bailiffs were in the bar and drinking. The group in the parking paced restlessly. An hour later the suspects left the bar and headed north on Williams as Silva began following them. The group of detectives loaded up.

The voice came over the radio. "Now east on Rothwell...looks like they're going north...yeah, they just turned onto Elysian."

Martinez directed one of the other vehicles to run parallel on Maury while the others followed behind Silva. Matt looked out as the sun disappeared and the night began to roll in. It was almost 5:30. Silva's voice reported again. "They just turned east onto Lee."

"Sheraton, what's your position?" Martinez waited.

"We're almost to Noble."

"Slow down – we don't want them to catch sight of you at the intersection."

"They've crossed the tracks now...right on Mary Street."

"They're getting close." Chuck tightened his grip on the steering wheel.

"Sheraton, cut down Chase and make the block." Martinez consulted the map on her phone.

Silva spoke again. "I'm stopped at the corner of Lee and Mary. They cut the lights and are running blackout. Looks like they've stopped. I'm on foot."

"Sheraton, cut the lights and come in northbound on Mary Street."

"Copy that."

"Okay guys...here we go." They had just made the turn onto Mary, Chuck cutting off his lights as they slowed to a crawl.

"Third house on the right." Silva was sneaking along the street trying to stay hidden behind trees as he went. "One of them knocked on the door – the others are in the empty lot next door. Looks like they've got a rope."

"We're almost there, Silva." Chuck stopped where he was, pulling to the curb and cutting the engine as did the other vehicle that was following them. "Let's move in, people; slow and easy does it."

In the dim lights up ahead, Houston could see as a man opened the door of the small house and was grabbed by two of the men and taken toward the lot. The group of detectives picked up their pace, trying to remain quiet as they approached.

"They're putting a rope around his neck..." Silva already had his pistol drawn and was only about thirty feet away from the group.

"Now, take 'em down." Martinez broke into a full run as did the others, their flashlights suddenly blinding the group of bailiffs as they attempted to throw the rope over a tree limb.

"Hands in the air! Do it now!" Six detectives' voices boomed out into the night and three of the bailiffs reached for weapons.

"Drop it!" The sheriff took aim at Darren Loftus as he pointed his weapon in their direction, a shot ringing out and hitting Silva in the leg. She fired, dropping Loftus with a shot to the right shoulder.

Connell had also drawn his weapon and now fired as he first maneuvered behind the tree and then ran between two nearby houses, Houston and Martinez hot on his trail as the other detectives went after others in the group. Up and over a chain link fence, they followed Connell, Matt glad that it was only four feet high: he managed to roll over it with his right hand braced against his chest. Across another yard and over a matching fence the bailiff fled, while Matt's long legs helped him to close in on the man. Suddenly he came to a stop, turning to bring up his pistol to fire at Martinez who had just made it up even with Houston. A shot rang out from Matt's gun and Connell screamed in pain, the weapon falling from his right hand as he sank down to his knees and tried to scramble for the gun. Martinez kicked it away from him and rolled him over, quickly putting cuffs on one of her own employees.

The chase was over; all six bailiffs were now in custody and as they walked a cursing Kirby Connell back to the lot, Martinez looked over at the man next to her. "I'm sorry."

"Forget about it."


	8. Chapter 8

**CHAPTER 8**

"I was way out of line and I apologize." Francine Martinez steered the SUV eastward toward the ranch.

"I said forget about it." Matt had his throbbing right hand propped up on the ledge of the passenger side window, doing his best to quit thinking about the memories that she had dredged up.

"Well..." She blew out a breath. "At least let me thank you for taking out Connell."

"That you can do." He glanced over at her and grinned as she took a quick look at him.

"Phew...that's much better. Has anybody ever told you that you're a scary something when you get mad?" Her question was met with a chuckle and then the quiet resumed.

"I didn't mean to come across as a jerk. It's just...there are some things that I do my damnedest not to think about – and that's one of them."

"I'm sorry."

"Just drop it – please?"

"Okay." They continued on through the night. "So Chuck tells me that your Uncle is getting married?"

"Yeah, so now let's see...that will make him my sorta kinda step dad...or would it be...hmmm..." Laughing at the bewildered look on her face he explained the relationship.

"Nothing can ever be easy with you, can it?" She cracked up again.

"This is it up here on the right. I'll have to punch the code at the gate." He rolled down the window, wincing as he punched in the numbers and the gate rolled open. As Martinez started up the driveway she gasped and he snickered.

"Holy hell, Chuck told me you had a ranch...he didn't say anything about the plantation from "Gone With the Wind." More laughter followed and she put the truck in park behind the house as he instructed.

"You might as well come in and meet the crew while you wait on Chuck."

"I'd love to." She followed him up the steps and into the kitchen, the sound of laughter filling the house.

"You've gotta go through security, though. Stop right here." He grinned as the half Husky-half Blue Heeler Tilly came down the hallway at a trot, her tail wagging but a low growl coming from her throat when she saw the stranger. "Tilly, this is Sheriff Martinez. It's okay to say hello." The dog sat at the woman's feet and offered a paw which Francine shook.

"She's well-trained."

"Self-trained is more like it." They went on down the hallway. "What's goin' on in here?" Houston stopped at the doorway of the den where everyone had gathered and was immediately set upon by the kids, Catey Rose being the first to reach him and throwing her arms around his neck as he picked her up in his left arm.

"Daddy! Missed you!" She began giving him little kisses and then noticed Martinez. "Hi!"

"Hi there."

"Catey Rose...let's see here; y'all line up so I can introduce you. Alright, this one here is Catey Rose – obviously. Then going left to right we've got Tony, Tomás, Vince Junior, Michael, and the biggun here is Paul." He set Catey back on the floor and entered the room to find his two infant sons being held by Mama and Roy. "And these two hellions here are the newest additions: Vinny and Mike."

"Oh my goodness..." She leaned down and touched both babies on the cheek. "They are like little carbon copies."

"Right down to being stubborn." Roy grinned up at Matt, having already heard about his refusal to come home after his hand was broken.

"And you met Uncle Roy already, and this beautiful lady here is Rosa Novelli – soon to be Mrs. Houston." He gave her a kiss on the cheek noticing how she blushed when he introduced her.

"I'm so happy to meet you – and congratulations."

"Thank you."

"Now over here we've got another beautiful lady – this is Isabella – Vince's wife." The two shook hands.

"And another beautiful lady – Sheila Wentworth – our nanny."

Vince piped up. "She's also a nurse – very handy to have around considering how he likes to break things."

"Shut up, Vince." Matt gave him a playful stare before leaning over to give CJ a hug. "Have a seat." She sat down in a chair and immediately became Catey's main interest. A little while later Sheila and CJ took the babies to put them down for the night, both giving Matt a chance to tell them goodnight before taking them upstairs. "Catey, it's about time for you to go to bed."

"Awww..." She batted her eyes at her dad.

"Nope, not gonna work. Tell everybody good night." He grinned as she turned to make the rounds of the group, coming back to him last as CJ came to the doorway for her.

"Night, Daddy. Love you."

"Love you, too, Lady Bug." He gave and received a goodnight kiss and watched as she went to her mom and then upstairs.

"She's adorable – and really knows how to use those eyes."

"Kinda hard to say no to her sometimes." He leaned back on the couch once again as Tilly took off for the kitchen. "Must be Chuckles the Clown."

"I heard that." Chuck entered the den.

"You just missed your girlfriend."

"I'll catch up with her tomorrow." Coming in he greeted everyone and sat down for a minute. "So, I guess I better take the boss lady back, huh?"

"Yeah, I need to get ready for tomorrow." Martinez's face showed her concern. "This is the second time this year that we've had to deal with corrupt officers."

"Better to find out about them and get rid of them." Vince watched as she nodded.

"They may try to get rid of me as well."

"Don't think so." Houston wrapped his arm around CJ as she sat down next to him. "You've cleaned up that department; you still are. Things like that take time."

"Some people don't seem to understand that, though." She stood. "Well, thanks for the help. I better get going so Chuckles here can get some sleep tonight. It was nice to meet everyone."

"Thanks for the new nickname." Wylie gave Houston a disgruntled look as he stood up. "Talk to y'all tomorrow."

"See ya." Heaving a sigh of relief, Matt propped his arm up on the back of the couch.

"Mattlock, your little adventure this morning may have caused us a wedding day problem." Roy gave him a disappointed look.

"Oh?"

"That's a good sized cast; how are you planning to get your shirt on over it?"

Looking at his hand the detective shrugged and replied, "Could just wear a short sleeved shirt."

"But that wouldn't look right." The elder Houston was known for being dapper and his disapproval was showing.

"We could sew a cuff around the edge of it." CJ tried to keep from cracking up but was unsuccessful.

"Or I could go shirtless..." Matt gave his uncle a big smile.

"No, not an option..."


End file.
